Many thanks to everyone who is reading the Days of Being posts! I’m going to take a short break for the month of November while I serve my freelance copywriting clients and while I participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and write 50,000 words this month for my manuscript. I’ll return with more daily Days of Being posts in December. Wish me luck with NaNoWriMo!

I was thrilled to discover the main library downtown had an old book I was trying to track down that was first published in 1939. The copy I found on the shelf in the library that always makes me sad because the carpet is worn and the escalator is broken and the resources are low still has the catalog card in the back pocket. The last written entry is dated July 28, 1971, when the overdue fine was five cents per day. This particular book from a later printing is older than I am—it’s closing in on half a century of existence. But I consumed it in one sitting, turning the thick pages laced with that aged book aroma, taking in a story about a woman and her loneliness, a story about all of us.

Your Turn:

Have you ever re-discovered an old book?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 29s.

My husband surprised me with a huge bunch of sunflowers for no reason except he saw some sunflowers, and he wanted me to see them too.

Your Turn:

What’s the last gift you gave someone?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 28s.

I hoped a tiny mustard seed was really enough. That’s about how much faith I had that my daughter’s health would improve and that she would recover from her depression and flourish. I begged God to deliver her from her pain and offered Him my speck of faith.

Your Turn:

Why do you hope a tiny mustard seed of faith is enough?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 27s.

After my daughter’s annual checkup that afternoon, I asked her if she wanted to go back to school to catch the last 45 minutes of her creative writing class. She responded, “Of course.” So I checked her back into school for the last 45 minutes of the school day and waited in the carpool line until she was forced to leave. I wasn’t surprised. Her curiosity and love of learning were as familiar to me as her bright green eyes and dark brown hair.

Your Turn:

What familiar traits of a loved one have you noticed lately?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 26s.

When the alarm clock’s buzz pierced the thick blanket of sleep that covered her, she pressed buttons and more buttons until the alarm stopped. Then she rolled over and retreated back into the safe warmth of sleep. She wasn’t ready to fight against her tired body.

This ordinary moment was written by Riley Donlon. Riley is a 10th grader at Homewood High School in Birmingham, Alabama. She likes to write, watch movies, and be with her friends.

Your Turn:

What are you not ready for?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can send me a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-story project exploring memories and moments from every day of the year. Multiple years from my life and others’ lives are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.”

She sent the first 21 pages of her new manuscript to a friend, releasing her words, ideas, images, and commentary into a small corner of this wild world. This is what she does, though. She tries to write in community, to receive feedback, to hear what’s working and what’s not working. Writing can be so isolating. Sometimes she feels like she’s alone in a sea of language. But she’s not. There are others around her. They swim and tread water and float and help each other back to the shore when it’s time to return to dry land.

Your Turn:

Who do you turn to for feedback in your work and vocation?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 24s.

I sit in silence in the space of time between a call with a client and a visit with a dear friend. My eyes trace the patterned grid of sunlight on the floor by our dining room table. The patches of light shift while I stare. The change is barely discernible, but I know the light is not where it was before. As I rotate, as the floor rotates, as we all rotate, the light claims new territory and shines into the shadows.

Your Turn:

Where is the light shining right now?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 23s.

In the rush of another Monday morning—another beginning of another work week—I left home without eating breakfast. But when I walked into the break room, there was a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread (and butter!) for anyone, for me. I received and savored my unexpected gift, nourishment from someone’s small gesture of generosity.

This entry is inspired by an ordinary moment from one of Adrianna Wright’s October 22s. Adrianna is a publicity and publishing consultant, an editor & writer @WheatonCollege alumni mag, a horseback rider and instructor, and a Community Business Coordinator @BNCranberry.

Your Turn:What’s an unexpected gift you’ve received recently?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can send me a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-story project exploring memories and moments from every day of the year. Multiple years from my life and others’ lives are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.”

The church bells chiming across the street at the top of the hour made me miss the train horns and whistles that used to interrupt our days and nights. The trains didn’t pass by our former home at the top of every hour—each chain of train cars rumbled along the tracks beside our house whenever it was time for them to rumble along the tracks beside our house, their intrusion a reminder that predictability can be elusive.

Your Turn:

Which sounds interrupt your days?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 22s.

While leaving my crush city after a quick weekend trip with my family, I do what I do every time we visit—I daydream about living there, becoming a local, becoming someone who can claim New Orleans as home. But I know it will never happen. My longing to be more connected to the people and culture and spirit of the city will swell like a river after a hard rain, but it will remain unsatisfied.

Your Turn:

Which city is your crush city?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 21s.

She sat at the desk in her office and listened to the new Lady Gaga album. She was home alone so she turned up the volume and played the songs she liked the most—the ballads—again and again. Later that day she told her best friend, “You need to listen to “Million Reasons” on the new Lady Gaga album. It’s gorgeous. It reminds me of you.” A few months later, she and her daughter listened to the album on repeat during a weekend road trip. Whenever “Million Reasons” played, she thought about her friend and her friend’s husband and their miracle marriage, their Lazarus marriage that was dead, resuscitated, and given new life.

Your Turn:

Where have you seen new life appear recently?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 21s.

The menu was printed on tattered and wrinkled sheets of cheap white paper and probably created in Excel—a spreadsheet with a list of items on the left and prices on the right. No logos, no tag lines, no images. But then we saw the “Cash Only” sign posted at the counter where you place your order. My husband and I usually have plenty of cash on hand, but not this afternoon. We left the line, left the restaurant, and went somewhere else with more space, plenty of open tables, and laminated menus. But I’m pretty sure we missed out on so much more.

Your Turn:

What’s one of your favorite restaurants that only the locals know about?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 20s.

As I drove down I-59 to New Orleans, I noticed scattered clusters of Queen Anne’s Lace—their round, white heads peering over dry grass in the median on the outskirts of Birmingham. A sign that sustained cooler temperatures have yet to arrive. But four hours later, the patches of wild, deep yellow swamp daisies captured my gaze as we left Mississippi and entered Louisiana. A brighter sign aflame signaling that autumn is, in fact, here.

Your Turn:

What is something you are waiting for that seems to be late but might be right on time?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 19s.

It stopped me in my tracks—a feather hidden among the vibrant green leaves, perfectly camouflaged, mimicking the surrounding shapes. But I saw it in the wispy tangle. God’s beauty (a prayer? an echo? a hint?) resting at my feet.

This entry is inspired by an ordinary moment from one of Anna Nash’s October 18s. Anna is an entrepreneur who has a passion for helping people be the best they can be in life and work. As a Life Coach, Anna focuses on helping people find their God-given purpose. Beacon People, a non-profit organization, was birthed out of this calling. Anna is an idea girl who loves brainstorming, networking, and marketing and is the author of pathFinder, A Journey Towards Purpose. Her gifts lie in connecting people and opportunities that benefit them and give them a place to make impact. She resides in Birmingham, Alabama, and is married to her high school sweetheart, Tyler. They have 4 grown children and a Labradoodle named Nate.

Your Turn:Where have you found unexpected beauty recently?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can send me a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online and on Instagram. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-story project exploring memories and moments from every day of the year. Multiple years from my life and others’ lives are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.”

She sat in the bed of comfort wrapped in the white linens. Alarm clocks beeped throughout her home. The aroma of coffee hung in the air. The dog nuzzled tightly in the curve of her legs. Her sleepy-eyed daughter entered her room with a warm embrace, in need of encouragement and affirmation. Another day began to unfold. What will it bring?

This entry is inspired by an ordinary moment from one of Dawn Curtis’s October 18s. Dawn creates, designs, and brands for work and other life-giving opportunities. As she sips her black coffee and listens to your story, the next thing you know she will be showing you a design for your life or dream like you have never seen before. On any given day you will find her sitting on her screened porch on the sofa, mini-doodle sitting on her lap, tapping away on her laptop. She dreams dreams for other people through her design work and helps them see a bigger God throughout the process. She lives in Birmingham, AL with her husband Bill and two little red headed girls.

Your Turn:What did you notice when you woke up this morning?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can send me a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-story project exploring memories and moments from every day of the year. Multiple years from my life and others’ lives are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.”

She realized her tendency to work to gain her worthiness was antithetical to grace. She wouldn’t need God’s grace if she could handle everything on her own. Her efforts to keep her life and her husband’s life and her children’s lives in order and under control kept falling apart anyway. Deep down, she knew she was still lost in many ways even though she was found. Fully acknowledging this truth required her to strip herself of the layers of protection she had worn her whole life. Was she ready to be seen?

Your Turn:

What do you need to let go of?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from our ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 18s.

I was able to snag a table in the crowded Starbucks before our meeting, which was a good sign. I sipped my drink, wrote a few notes, and waited for them to arrive. After they joined me, we spoke of possibilities, dreams, hopes. Our words and souls mingled with mystery inside the larger story that held us. We sat in the space created for this exact moment, but only God knows what’s being written. So we wonder, we watch, we wait.

Your Turn:

What are you waiting for right now?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can submit a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir and micro-story project exploring memories and moments from ordinary days. Multiple years are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.” Today’s micro-memoir is from one of my October 17s.

The evening was wet and dreary, but the air was thick with fall. We were all fussy and hungry, and it was getting late. I abandoned my homemade dinner plans and threw a frozen pizza in the oven. The kids and I ate our simple dinner in a rare moment of quiet stillness while we listened to the gentle rain, while I tasted the grace God always throws my way.

This entry is inspired by an ordinary moment from one of Sarah Pinkerton’s October 16s. Sarah lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband and their foster children.

Your Turn:What can you do to simplify the next few hours of your life and simply be?

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can send me a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-story project exploring memories and moments from every day of the year. Multiple years from my life and others’ lives are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.”

I teach my daughter how to hold her books and folders in her arms the way others, for whom this comes naturally, hold their books and folders so she can walk to class without dropping everything, without creating a scene, without drawing the laughter of her classmates. I can teach her this because I’ve had to put more thought into it than most people. Like a sculptor, I’ve had to study the angles and give attention to the placement of the arms, the fingers. I describe everything to her and demonstrate for her so she can practice. I’m able to help her become more capable because of my failings.

This entry is inspired by an ordinary moment from one of Katie MacGuire’s October 16s. Katie lives in Waterloo, Ontario with her husband and 4 kids. She runs a media-tech startup and is learning how to cope and parent with ADHD.

Also, take a few minutes to record an ordinary moment from today because our ordinary moments matter. I’d love for you to share your ordinary moment in the comments below. Or you can send me a few sentences about one of your ordinary moments and I’ll write a Days of Being entry to post online. If you’d like to participate, email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com.

Days of Being is a micro-memoir project exploring memories and moments from every day of the year. Multiple years from my life and others’ lives are represented within the project celebrating what Madeleine L’Engle once said: “I am still every age that I have been.”